Content Scoring

Overview

Content Scoring analyzes your web pages and content to determine how well they’re optimized for AI search engines. Get actionable recommendations to improve structure, readability, freshness, and citation quality.

Key Features

Multi-Dimension Scoring

Score content across 5 key dimensions: structure, readability, freshness, key content, and citations

Actionable Recommendations

Get specific suggestions to improve each score

Score History

Track score changes over time to measure improvements

Daily Limits

Plan-based scoring limits prevent overuse

How Content Scoring Works

Submit URL

Provide the URL of the content you want to score

Content Analysis

OpenSight fetches and analyzes the HTML content across multiple dimensions

Score Generation

Receive a comprehensive score (0-100) with dimension breakdowns

Review Recommendations

Get specific, actionable suggestions to improve your score

Scoring Dimensions

Content is scored across 5 key dimensions, each contributing to the overall score:

1. Structure Score (20% weight)

Analyzes HTML structure and semantic elements:

// From: packages/analyzer/src/content-scorer.ts:29-82
let structureScore = 0;

// H1 tag (up to 20 points)
if (h1Count === 1) {
  structureScore += 20;
} else if (h1Count > 1) {
  structureScore += 10;
  recommendations.push('Consider having only one H1 tag per page for better SEO');
}

// Subheadings (up to 25 points)
const totalSubheadings = h2Count + h3Count + h4Count + h5Count + h6Count;
if (totalSubheadings >= 3) {
  structureScore += 25;
}

// Lists (up to 20 points)
if (listCount >= 2) {
  structureScore += 20;
}

// Schema/JSON-LD (up to 20 points)
if (schemaScripts > 0) {
  structureScore += 20;
} else {
  recommendations.push('Add structured data (schema.org/JSON-LD) to enhance content discoverability');
}

// Semantic elements (up to 15 points)
if (semanticElements > 0) {
  structureScore += 15;
}

Structure Scoring Breakdown

Maximum: 100 points

H1 Tag (20 points): Exactly one H1 tag
Subheadings (25 points): 3+ H2-H6 tags
Lists (20 points): 2+ <ul> or <ol> elements
Schema Markup (20 points): JSON-LD structured data present
Semantic HTML (15 points): Use of <article>, <section>, etc.

2. Readability Score (25% weight)

Uses the Flesch Reading Ease test to measure content readability:

// From: packages/analyzer/src/content-scorer.ts:84-114
let readabilityScore = 0;
const textContent = $('body').text();

if (textContent && textContent.trim().length > 0) {
  // Flesch score: 90-100 = very easy, 60-70 = standard, 0-30 = very difficult
  const fleschScore = readability.flesch(textContent);
  readabilityScore = Math.max(0, Math.min(100, fleschScore));
  
  if (fleschScore < 60) {
    recommendations.push('Improve readability by using shorter sentences and simpler words');
  }
}

Flesch Score Guide
Improving Readability

90-100: Very Easy to read

Average sentence length: 12 words
Example: “See Spot run”

60-70: Standard (Target Range)

Average sentence length: 15-20 words
Example: Most web content

30-50: Difficult

Average sentence length: 25+ words
Example: Academic writing

0-30: Very Difficult

Average sentence length: 35+ words
Example: Legal documents

3. Freshness Score (15% weight)

Evaluates content recency based on publication/modification dates:

// From: packages/analyzer/src/content-scorer.ts:116-147
let freshnessScore = 50; // Default neutral score

const lastModified = $('meta[http-equiv="last-modified"]').attr('content') ||
                     $('meta[name="last-modified"]').attr('content');
const articleModified = $('meta[property="article:modified_time"]').attr('content');
const publishedTime = $('meta[property="article:published_time"]').attr('content');

if (lastModified || articleModified || publishedTime) {
  const dateStr = lastModified || articleModified || publishedTime;
  const modifiedDate = new Date(dateStr);
  const now = new Date();
  const daysOld = (now.getTime() - modifiedDate.getTime()) / (1000 * 60 * 60 * 24);
  
  if (daysOld < 30) {
    freshnessScore = 100;
  } else if (daysOld < 90) {
    freshnessScore = 75;
  } else if (daysOld < 180) {
    freshnessScore = 50;
  } else if (daysOld < 365) {
    freshnessScore = 25;
  } else {
    freshnessScore = 10;
    recommendations.push('Update your content to reflect current information');
  }
}

Add publication dates to your content using meta tags:

<meta property="article:published_time" content="2024-01-15T10:00:00Z" />
<meta property="article:modified_time" content="2024-03-01T14:30:00Z" />

4. Key Content Score (25% weight)

Analyzes essential content elements:

// From: packages/analyzer/src/content-scorer.ts:149-196
let keyContentScore = 0;

// Paragraphs (up to 25 points)
if (paragraphCount >= 5) {
  keyContentScore += 25;
} else if (paragraphCount >= 3) {
  keyContentScore += 15;
}

// Images (up to 25 points)
if (imageCount >= 2) {
  keyContentScore += 25;
} else if (imageCount === 1) {
  keyContentScore += 15;
}

// Video (up to 20 points)
if (videoCount > 0) {
  keyContentScore += 20;
}

// Links (up to 15 points)
if (linkCount >= 3) {
  keyContentScore += 15;
}

// Meta description (up to 10 points)
if (metaDescription && metaDescription.length > 50 && metaDescription.length < 160) {
  keyContentScore += 10;
} else {
  recommendations.push('Optimize your meta description (50-160 characters)');
}

// Page title (up to 5 points)
if (pageTitle && pageTitle.length > 0) {
  keyContentScore += 5;
}

Key Content Elements

Paragraphs (25 points):

5+ paragraphs = full points
3-4 paragraphs = partial points

Images (25 points):

2+ images = full points
1 image = partial points

Video (20 points):

Any embedded video (YouTube, Vimeo, native)

Links (15 points):

3+ internal/external links

Meta Description (10 points):

50-160 characters optimal

Page Title (5 points):

Present and non-empty

5. Citation Score (15% weight)

Measures credibility signals and data backing:

// From: packages/analyzer/src/content-scorer.ts:198-228
let citationScore = 0;

// Blockquotes (up to 30 points)
if (blockquoteCount > 0) {
  citationScore += 30;
} else {
  recommendations.push('Include quotes or blockquotes to support your claims');
}

// Data attributes (up to 20 points)
if (dataAttributes > 0) {
  citationScore += 20;
}

// Citation keywords (up to 30 points)
const citationPatterns = /cited|source|according to|research shows|studies indicate|data shows/gi;
const citationMatches = textContent.match(citationPatterns) || [];

if (citationMatches.length > 0) {
  citationScore += 30;
} else {
  recommendations.push('Reference sources and cite data to increase credibility');
}

// Links (up to 20 points)
if (linkCount > 0) {
  citationScore += 20;
}

AI search engines favor content with credible sources and data. Include citations, quotes, and references to boost visibility.

Overall Score Calculation

The overall score is a weighted average of all dimension scores:

// From: packages/analyzer/src/content-scorer.ts:230-244
const weights = {
  structure: 0.2,      // 20%
  readability: 0.25,   // 25%
  freshness: 0.15,     // 15%
  keyContent: 0.25,    // 25%
  citation: 0.15,      // 15%
};

const overallScore = Math.round(
  structureScore * weights.structure +
  readabilityScore * weights.readability +
  freshnessScore * weights.freshness +
  keyContentScore * weights.keyContent +
  citationScore * weights.citation
);

Using the Content Scorer

Score a URL

POST /api/content/score
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "url": "https://example.com/article"
}

Response:

{
  "score": {
    "id": "score-123",
    "url": "https://example.com/article",
    "overallScore": 78,
    "structureScore": 85,
    "readabilityScore": 72,
    "freshnessScore": 100,
    "keyContentScore": 65,
    "citationScore": 70,
    "recommendations": [
      "Add more paragraphs of substantive content",
      "Include more internal and external links for context and SEO",
      "Reference sources and cite data to increase credibility"
    ],
    "createdAt": "2024-03-01T14:30:00Z"
  }
}

Daily Limits

Scoring is subject to plan-based daily limits:

// From: apps/api/src/controllers/content.controller.ts:9-24
export async function scoreContent(
  req: Request,
  res: Response,
  next: NextFunction
): Promise<void> {
  try {
    const { url } = req.body;
    const score = await contentService.scoreContent(req.user!.id, { url });
    res.status(201).json({ score });
  } catch (error) {
    const err = error as Error;
    if (err.message.includes('limit')) {
      res.status(429).json({ error: err.message });
    }
  }
}

If you hit your daily limit, you’ll receive a 429 status code. Limits reset at midnight UTC.

Score History

Track score changes over time to measure content improvements:

GET /api/content/score/history?limit=50&offset=0

Response:

{
  "scores": [
    {
      "id": "score-123",
      "url": "https://example.com/article",
      "overallScore": 78,
      "createdAt": "2024-03-01T14:30:00Z"
    },
    {
      "id": "score-122",
      "url": "https://example.com/guide",
      "overallScore": 85,
      "createdAt": "2024-02-28T10:15:00Z"
    }
  ],
  "total": 142,
  "limit": 50,
  "offset": 0
}

Optimization Workflow

Score Initial Content

Get baseline scores for your existing content

Review Recommendations

Prioritize recommendations by impact (low-hanging fruit first)

Implement Changes

Update content based on recommendations:

Add missing structural elements
Improve readability
Add fresh data/examples
Include citations and sources

Re-Score Content

Score the updated content to measure improvement

Monitor Visibility

Track how score improvements affect AI search visibility

Best Practices

Focus on High-Impact Changes

Priority 1: Structure & Key Content

These have the highest weights (20% + 25% = 45%)
Often easiest to improve quickly
Add headings, images, lists, and links

Priority 2: Readability

25% weight, significant impact
May require more effort to rewrite
Use tools like Hemingway Editor

Priority 3: Citations & Freshness

15% weight each (30% combined)
Add sources, quotes, and recent data

Score Before Publishing

Build scoring into your content workflow:

Write draft content
Publish to staging environment
Score the staging URL
Make improvements based on recommendations
Re-score until target score achieved (aim for 80+)
Publish to production

Track Competitive Scores

Benchmark against competitors:

Score top-ranking competitor content
Identify what makes their content score higher
Match or exceed their best practices
Re-score quarterly to stay competitive

Maintain Content Freshness

Keep scores high over time:

Update content quarterly with fresh data
Add new examples and case studies
Refresh publication dates in meta tags
Re-score after updates to verify improvements

Target Scores

Excellent

80-100Highly optimized for AI search. Content meets all best practices.

Good

60-79Solid content with room for improvement. Focus on low scores.

Needs Work

0-59Requires significant optimization. Follow all recommendations.

API Reference

Score Content

POST /api/content/score
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "url": "https://example.com/page"
}

Get Score History

GET /api/content/score/history?limit=50&offset=0

Parameters:

limit (optional): Number of scores to return (default: 50)
offset (optional): Pagination offset (default: 0)

Next Steps

Brand Monitoring

Track how content improvements affect visibility

AI Engines

Understand what each engine values in content

Competitor Tracking

Compare your content scores to competitors

Alerts

Get notified when content scores drop

Get Started

Core Features

Deployment

Platform

Overview

Key Features

Multi-Dimension Scoring

Actionable Recommendations

Score History

Daily Limits

How Content Scoring Works

Scoring Dimensions

1. Structure Score (20% weight)

2. Readability Score (25% weight)

3. Freshness Score (15% weight)

4. Key Content Score (25% weight)

5. Citation Score (15% weight)

Overall Score Calculation

Using the Content Scorer

Score a URL

Daily Limits

Score History

Optimization Workflow

Best Practices

Target Scores

Excellent

Good

Needs Work

API Reference

Score Content

Get Score History

Next Steps

Brand Monitoring

AI Engines

Competitor Tracking

Alerts

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Core Features

Deployment

Platform

​Overview

​Key Features

Multi-Dimension Scoring

Actionable Recommendations

Score History

Daily Limits

​How Content Scoring Works

​Scoring Dimensions

​1. Structure Score (20% weight)

​2. Readability Score (25% weight)

​3. Freshness Score (15% weight)

​4. Key Content Score (25% weight)

​5. Citation Score (15% weight)

​Overall Score Calculation

​Using the Content Scorer

​Score a URL

​Daily Limits

​Score History

​Optimization Workflow

​Best Practices

​Target Scores

Excellent

Good

Needs Work

​API Reference

​Score Content

​Get Score History

​Next Steps

Brand Monitoring

AI Engines

Competitor Tracking

Alerts

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Key Features

How Content Scoring Works

Scoring Dimensions

1. Structure Score (20% weight)

2. Readability Score (25% weight)

3. Freshness Score (15% weight)

4. Key Content Score (25% weight)

5. Citation Score (15% weight)

Overall Score Calculation

Using the Content Scorer

Score a URL

Daily Limits

Score History

Optimization Workflow

Best Practices

Target Scores

API Reference

Score Content

Get Score History

Next Steps